College of Nursing and Health Science

Nursing, M.S.N.

The M.S.N. program is accredited by the Virginia State Board of Nursing and the National League for Nursing. The program prepares nurses for a variety of leadership roles in the health care delivery system. The adult or gerontological nurse practitioner in primary care and the family nurse practitioner tracks are part of a collaborative program with the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. The adult or gerontological nurse practitioner and the family nurse practitioner tracks have been approved by the state boards of nursing and medicine in Virginia. The track in advanced clinical nursing prepares nurses to provide and manage care of individuals, families, and groups, including the chronically ill, the elderly, and others with self-care limitations. The track in nursing administration prepares nurses to function in management positions in hospitals, nursing homes, community health agencies, and other health-related facilities.

Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the graduate admission requirements, an applicant to this program must have a cumulative GPA of 3.000 for the last 60 credits of undergraduate work, hold an active license as a registered nurse, and submit three letters of recommendation. Although the GRE is not formally required, applicants may be asked to submit GRE scores at the discretion of the school when it believes those scores will lead to a clearer presentation of the applicant's qualifications. Applicants must have successfully completed undergraduate statistics as well as a graduate bivariate statistics course.

Students applying to the tracks in advanced clinical nursing and the adult or gerontological nurse practitioner in primary care must have a health assessment course with a skills component within 18 months of the clinical practicum in the master's program.

In addition, applicants to the nursing administration track are required to have the equivalent of one year's experience in direct patient care as a registered nurse. It is recommended that students applying to the advanced clinical nursing and the adult or gerontological nurse practitioner in primary care tracks have the equivalent of one year's experience in direct patient care as a registered nurse.

Special Requirements

Graduate students are required to have annual health examinations and immunizations before enrolling in practicum courses. Students enrolled in the advanced clinical nursing, the adult or gerontological nurse practitioner in primary care, and the family nurse practitioner tracks must be in the process of completing a hepatitis B immunization series when they enroll for their first practicum course. Nursing administration students who have practicum placements in health care agencies also must be in the process of completing a hepatitis B immunization series when they enroll for their first practicum course. Student health and immunization records are monitored at the College of Nursing and Health Science Office of Student Academic Affairs, which charges a small fee for this service. All students are required to have an active e-mail account.

Degree Requirements

The master's program in nursing requires 37­48 graduate credits. Of these, a 13-credit core consists of course work in the theoretical foundations of nursing, applications in nursing research, a seminar in the ethics of health care, and a course on the organization of nursing and health care delivery systems. The nursing administration and advanced clinical nursing tracks require an additional 24 credits; the adult or gerontological nurse practitioner track requires an additional 29 credits; and the family nurse practitioner track requires an additional 35 credits. A graduate course in which a grade of C or below is earned may be repeated only once. Graduate students (both master's and doctoral students) may repeat no more than two courses in their total programs of study.

RN-M.S.N. Pathway

This pathway allows registered nurses who have completed 63 general education credits and have demonstrated substantial involvement in professional nursing within the past two years to earn the M.S.N. degree with a minimum of undergraduate course work. Three credits of the 63 credits are earned from a computer course. Students entering a major through this pathway must meet all the requirements for admission to that major.

Admission Requirements

In addition to fulfilling admission requirements for degree status in the university, applicants to this pathway must

• hold a current license to practice nursing;
• be graduates of an accredited nursing program;
• have earned a 3.000 GPA in 63 general education credits in an accredited institution; and
• demonstrate substantial involvement in professional nursing within the past two years as a registered nurse in clinical practice.

Nursing Tracks (select one):
Nurse Practitioner, Advanced Clinical Nursing, or Nursing Administration